Impatience
by Aiden Skywalker
Summary: Obi-Wan begins to realize that his faith in Anakins piloting skills is about to be tested. Rating is for minor language.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Star Wars _always_ belongs to George Lucas, I _never_ get money, and I _sometimes_ write down these ideas.

Authors Note: I got this idea when I was driving back from vacation, and I thought it would be perfect to see what Anakin would be like when he got his drivers permit. Now, I realize that Jedi don't need driver's documentation and that I said he hadn't piloted anything for six years. Although according to the Jedi Quest series, by Jude Watson, Anakin had piloted many different starships, I had to change that to make this story realistic. Please read and review! Reviews are appreciated greatly!

After a prolonged night of vain sleep, Jedi Padawan Anakin Skywalker could not feel more exuberant than he did this particular morning. It had been nearly six years since he could remember being behind the wheel of a vehicle, and now, on his fifteenth birthday, he was about to take his pilot permit test. To Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi's chagrin, the boy's driving experiences would be his responsibility. From past incidents with his Padawan, Obi-Wan knew that sounded easier said than done. The boy's Master trusted Anakin, to a point, but he was not prepared to allow those limits to be tested. Unfortunately, even with all of his Jedi training, Obi-Wan Kenobi had good reason to be afraid. He almost felt guilty for secretly wishing for Anakin to fail the exam, although he chided himself with the knowledge that his apprentice had been ready for this test since he was younger than nine.

Without even taking pause for breakfast, Anakin rushed past his master who had his feet propped on the kitchen table sipping on a cup of Java. Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows to his Padawan's antics as the boy rushed around their living space, gathering every document he would need. To his astonishment, Anakin appeared to be ready nearly an hour before they even needed to leave. Before today, Obi-Wan had never been able to get his Padawan out of bed even ten minutes before a scheduled appointment. Obi-Wan set down his cup before regarding his apprentice.

"Good morning Padawan."

"Have you seen my cloak Master?"

"It's on your bedroom floor, as alw…" Obi-Wan couldn't even finish his sentence before the boy rushed back into his room.

Within less than a minute, Anakin ran back into the room and grabbed some fruit from a bowl on the counter.

"Padawan?"

"Yes Master?" Anakin asked before shaking his head, "Oh… good morning Master."

"Have you even looked at a chronometer lately?"

"Of course…"

One raised eyebrow from his master caught him before he could finish his response, "Well no. Why? Are we going to be late?"

"No Anakin… we have plenty of time. Why don't you sit down and finish your fruit. Just relax for a moment."

"Yes Master."

Anakin sat down at the table and continued to nibble on his morning snack with great restraint. Across the table, Obi-Wan could see the strain in the boys' eyes as Anakin tried to obey his Master's request with great difficulty. A smile came to Obi-Wan's face as Anakin looked up to him for appraisal. Once the piece of fruit had been nibbled down to the core, Anakin tossed it into the disposal bin from across the room as Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. Everything had to be a competition with that boy.

It wasn't until Obi-Wan had started reading a report from the Council on his datapad that he began to notice a tapping noise accompanied by a thrumming table. He raised his eyes just enough to see his Padawan's fingernails drumming on the table top incessantly. Obi-Wan couldn't help but to notice that Anakin was also biting his lower lip as he tried to sit patiently as another minute eased by. He laid down his datapad as Anakin continued to be oblivious to his Master. The sight could have been amusing to anyone else, but Obi-Wan felt almost ashamed to see his Padawan struggle with the task of sitting still.

"Anakin? I left my cloak lying on my bed, and I was wondering…"

The Padawan fled from the table so quickly that his chair was knocked over in his wake. With what seemed to be the speed of light, Anakin speed to Obi-Wan's room, retrieved the cloak and presented it to his master before noticing the upturned chair.

"Sorry Master… let me get that."

Swiftly, Anakin righted the chair and sat down before he began to fidget again. A deep sigh escaped his Master's lips before Obi-Wan stood and pushed his chair in.

"I don't think that Master Tiin would mind if we arrived 50 minutes early, do you Padawan?"

The glint in Anakin's eyes was un-mistaken, "No Master."

Anakin stood up and managed to keep his chair in its place as the apprentice rushed in front of his Mentor to open the door. The familiar swishing noise of an accessed door alerted Obi-Wan of how far his apprentice was as the door swished shut. Anakin's long quick footsteps began to fade away until they began to resound in the hallway as he picked up his pace and accessed the door again. An impish smile crossed Anakin's face as he paused directly in front of Obi-Wan.

"Sorry Master. I thought you were behind me."

"I was until you started running down the hallways. I thought I told you not to do that."

"You did Master… recently… I'm sorry."

Obi-Wan laughed as he brushed past his Padawan and headed for the Temples hanger bay with Anakin not far behind.


	2. Chapter 2

Only Anakin Skywalker could tear a Jedi Knight away from his façade of calmness. Before Obi-Wan could entirely comprehend what he was doing, both Master and Apprentice were sprinting down the corridors of the Jedi Temple. Of course, it was Anakin who had initiated the idea for a race; however his mentor did not seem concerned in disciplining him for such a disgraceful suggestion. Instead, Obi-Wan had merely turned to confront his Padawan with a mischievous grin on his face. Now that Obi-Wan thought back on how he got himself into this predicament, he soon realized that in all honesty, it was his fault. Although now the Jedi Knight began to really regret his situation. You see, he couldn't simply stop, or give up because he knew that if he let his Padawan win, then he would brag about it incessantly for the next week. The hangar bay was just around the next corner, so Obi-Wan simply rationalized the fact that since no one had seen them, and he was so close to winning, that finishing the race wouldn't hurt anyone.

"Master Kenobi, just what in the good galaxy are you doing?"

Obi-Wan skidded to a stop as Anakin rushed past him and reached the finish line with a goading smirk on his face. Embarrassed to have been caught in the middle of ignominy, Obi-Wan turned to confront a well recognized voice within the Temple.

"Master Windu, so good to see you on such a fine morning."

"Cut the chatter Kenobi. Now have my eyes deceived me, or were you just running down the hallway, hazardously awaiting some poor, innocent, bystander to come across a perilous demise?"

"Master Windu, Anakin…"

"So you mean to tell me that you blame your appalling errors on a fifteen year old youngling?"

"But he…"

"I should hope you learn to use better judgment Master Kenobi. May the Force be with us all."

Without second pause to hear another failing counter statement, Mace Windu shook his head as he strode down the hallway. Obi-Wan turned to see his Padawan with an impish smile on his face as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Really Master, it's not my fault that I have an irresponsible mentor."

"You plan these things… don't you Anakin? Just when I least expect it, you lead me into a trap so that I get caught looking ignorant."

"Someone has to keep you on your toes."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, "And I suppose that without you, I would become old and wrinkly like Master Yoda?"

"That's right!"

A deep sigh escaped Obi-Wan's lips as he meandered over to where a receptionist sat at her desk, politely awaiting for the next person in line. With documents in hand, Anakin followed his Master to the back of the line which snaked around several corners of guiding laser ropes. The boy couldn't help but notice how long the line was and looked up to his Master with disappointment in his eyes.

"When Tru said this line was going to be long, he wasn't kidding."

"Now would be a great time to practice your meditation, Padawan."

"You have to be kidding me…"

Obi-Wan glared at his Padawan until Anakin looked away, "Point taken Master."

Another deep sigh escaped from Obi-Wan's lips as he noticed that his Padawan was pacing in the small space provided by the lack of people directly behind them. The boy's long strides carried him from one end of the room to the other before Obi-Wan stopped Anakin in his path.

"If you're not willing to stand in this line, then I don't plan to hold your place for you."

"Obi-Wan, this line is so long! You can't honestly expect me to stand in it forever!"

"Since you seem to need a lesson in patience, you're going to have to stand in line yourself. Contact me when you are closer to the front."

"Where are you going?"

"I have more important things to do than stand here with an impatient youngling."

"Fine… I'll show you!"

During the time in which Anakin had to wait in line, he managed to get his gum stuck in the lady's hair in front of him, whom still did not know, and that amused the boy for a while. Anakin felt remorse over the fact that the poor woman would probably have to cut the piece out of her already mangled hair, however he felt as though it was not his fault, that she had been bent over, just as he was attempting to blow the largest bubble on record. The apprentice had begun to wonder what could have been so important that Obi-Wan felt obligated to ditch him in this dreadful line. Although he was only about half way through the line, Anakin decided to signal Obi-Wan to come back.

Anakin's jaw nearly dropped as Obi-Wan walked over to him with what looked like some kind of meat precariously dangling from his mouth as both hands held onto data pads from the archives. His Master had to shift the data pads in his left hand over to his apprentice before he could speak.

"I told you to call me when you were closer to the front!"

"I am Master, closer than when you left me alone here, so that you could get food for yourself!"

"I had important research to do in the archives and I did not want my stomach to be echoing throughout the shelves."

"You could have at least thought to bring me something."

Obi-Wan seemed to be mildly distracted as he thoughtfully took another bite of the mysterious meat. Without hesitation, Anakin leaned to see what he was looking at.

Obi-Wan refused to take his eyes off the spectacle before him as he leaned over to Anakin's ear, "Is that _gum _in that woman's hair?"

"Oh yeah… that. I almost forgot that I lost it."

"That's your gum? Anakin…"

"Obi-Wan, relax. It's honestly not what you think. It was an accident."

"And you don't plan to tell her? Apologize? Or anything?"

"I thought about it… but then I figured that maybe she would just never notice. I mean it's on the back of her head."

Now Obi-Wan's jaw nearly dropped as his Padawan was discussing this dilemma as though it were the weather.

"Anakin, you really need to say something to her."

"If you insist… Hey Miss?" Anakin tapped lightly on her shoulder until she turned around, "You really need to do something different with your hair. It looks awful in the back."

Obi-Wan gasped as the woman turned around with a scowl on her face. The Master could not believe his Padawan would say such an awful thing to someone.

"You know that's not what I meant!"

"I know, but I just thought I would take advantage of your moment of ill discretion."

Eye's rolling, Obi-Wan tapped the woman's shoulder to gain her attention again, "Miss…"

"Keep your comments to yourself, ass-hole!"

Stunned, Obi-Wan did not even try to say anything as he looked at his Padawan. Anakin shrugged his shoulders as his Master stood dumbfounded, both silently waiting until finally it was their turn. Without exchange of words, Anakin handed the receptionist his documentation and waited as she inspected every paper carefully. After she received Obi-Wan's signature the woman directed Anakin over to one of the computer terminals. Obi-Wan took a seat on the far wall from where Anakin was testing and finished his un-identifiable meat.

It was only a matter of what seemed like seconds until Anakin sat down beside him with a frown on his face.

"Did you not pass?"

"Of course I passed," Anakin showed Obi-Wan his newly acquired permit, "I just barely finished ten seconds faster than Master Tiin."

"But he holds the record of Fastest Time Completed!"

Anakin slumped down in the chair, "I know… I was going for twenty."


	3. Chapter 3

"You're not very good with women… are you Obi-Wan?"

It was not enough that Anakin had happened to make his Master look childish again. Somehow, the boy also felt compelled to make sure that Obi-Wan never forgot it either. All it ever took, was a lapse in judgment, for Anakin to plant his devious seeds; just in time for Obi-Wan to get tangled up in their roots. So maybe it was not intentional, but the mentor began to fear for what the boy might be planning next.

The simple trip back to their shared quarters began to lull Obi-Wan into what seemed like a false sense of security. Nothing treacherous, humiliating, or suspicious transpired within the long strip of hallway; which made Obi-Wan more cautious. Something was amiss; the Jedi Knight knew there had to be. "But what?" Obi-Wan thought. He knew it was wrong to distrust his Padawan; the episode in the hangar bay had to have been coincidental. The ill-fated man, who had to train the Chosen One, was once again, doubting his abilities as a Jedi. It was not until they entered their living space that Kenobi could finally unwind.

Only a few minutes passed before the Jedi Knight fell asleep, on the couch, in the living room.

After standing in line for what seemed to be an eternity, Anakin felt as though he had been on another ludicrous mission, on some back-water planet. Never again did the boy plan to live off an infinite supply of bugs, thank the Force there was cereal in the cupboard. Anakin realized that there must have been something awry, simply because he remembered that Obi-Wan never bought sugary cereal. Instead of taking any chances, Anakin thoroughly inspected the box, just to make sure that there was not anything abnormal about it. Although the box seemed perfectly normal, there was something that caught Anakin's eyes. "Glow Spoon Inside" the box boasted, and that was all the encouragement the boy needed to tear the top off the box.

Laying the room next door, Obi-Wan awoke to a strange rattling noise coming from the kitchen. At first, the older of the two males began to worry that some nuisance had discovered the food stashed in the cupboards. Now vexed, and somewhat lethargic, Obi-Wan found himself meandering into the kitchen to discover the source of the peculiar noise. To the poor mentor's displeasure, Obi-Wan found his errant Padawan spilling a box of cereal all over the counter, some stubborn crumbs being powdered below the boy's feet. It was genuinely discomforting to witness a fifteen year old boy excavating a box of sugary rings, while in pursuit for a cherished spoon.

"Don't tell me Anakin. I don't want to know."

"Master, this isn't what this looks like..."

"It seems to me that you are relentlessly digging through a box of cereal to get a spoon."

"You don't understand! It glows when you submerge it in milk!"

"I said I didn't want to know."

Obi-Wan briefly escaped from the unnerving spectacle while he retrieved a broom and dust pan from the closet.

"Oh come on! It glows when you eat your breakfast! How cool is that?"

"Well, I hope it was worth it, because I expect you to clean this mess up."

Anakin let out a sigh as his Master handed him the cleaning tools.

"This isn't fair. We have droids who are supposed to clean for us. These things are so archaic!"

"Maybe you should have thought of that before you brought disorder into my kitchen."

With a sigh the Padawan began to sweep up the chalky mess below his feet. After he emptied the remains into the trash, a frown came to his face as he regarded his Master who sat at the table reading some document again.

"It was all for nothing too… there was no spoon."

"What do you mean Padawan?"

"I dumped the entire box out and I couldn't find the spoon."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow, "Well that seems a bit curious."

"That's what I thought."

"Are you sure it didn't fall out when you weren't looking?"

The boy's mentor stood up and began to scan the obscured counter for the elusive spoon.

"Positive. Obi-Wan, I think the box lied to me. It lured a gift in front of me, and then shattered all my hopes and dreams."

"Don't be ridiculous Anakin. It's a box, not a holo-vision commercial."

After concluding that the boy was right and the spoon was truly un-obtainable, Obi-Wan began to scratch his ginger beard as he thought about any other options. Just as he was about to give up, one presented itself.

"Did you check in the bottom of the box?"

"What?"

"The box… did you check to see if it was at the bottom?"

"Of course! What do you take me for? A dim-witted youngling?"

It was now that Obi-Wan began to doubt the so called Chosen One's abilities again as he picked up the box and looked inside. Had he not been searching for it, the older male might have disregarded what looked like a hunk of plastic. Anakin watched carefully as Obi-Wan 

removed the plastic packaging and tossed it aside, revealing the defiant spoon. It was hard not to glare at Anakin, for the boy had a sheepish smile on his face that almost made him seem innocent. Unfortunately, Obi-Wan knew better. The Master handed the spoon to his Apprentice before discarding the box and the packaging.

"Now that I have my spoon… can we go drive?"

* * *

A/N: I have to admit, the idea I got for the spoon actually was influenced by something I did yesterday. I had my mom buy me a box of Apple Jacks, just so that I could have the glowing Indiana Jones: Adventure Spoon... just a reminder that what I write REALLY isn't that hard to believe. :


	4. Chapter 4

To Obi-Wan Kenobi's utter dismay, it had only been five hours since his Padawan received his permit, and the impulsive youngling had it in his mind that he was going to pilot a speeder; today. As alarming the notion was; the apprehensive Master knew he had to be reasonable. The boy needed to learn sooner or later, and hopefully his Padawan's desire to murder his mentor before the sun set would fade, once he was actually piloting a speeder. However, Obi-Wan was not currently in the mood for risking his life, and felt as though he should procrastinate as much as possible.

"How about tomorrow, Anakin?"

"At what time?"

"First thing in the morning, okay?"

"Alright…"

* * *

Stars lingered over the large city planet of Coruscant and could be seen only from places like the Jedi Temple, where the city lights could not interfere. Although most Jedi would stand and take delight in the wonder of tiny sparkling lights, Anakin Skywalker did not even take pause enough to notice they were there. With the moon as his only light source, the boy had to use the Force to see. It was not light enough to avoid the large piles of droid parts that he had accumulated over his past years training at the Temple. However, one thing the apprentice failed to notice; was how hard it was to keep concentration first thing in the morning. Hair overcome with bed head, and his Padawan braid matted just behind his right ear, Anakin continued to nearly crawl to his bedroom door.

A yawn escaped the Padawan's mouth as the door swished open and awaited his passage through. Although his stomach began to make strange noises, the boy ignored his hunger pains as he walked past the kitchen. Lingering just behind him, Anakin's shadow kept him company until he finally reached the darkest part of the hallway. Once he accessed the door, Anakin entered the room as quietly as his large feet could. Snoring, just as loud as ever, Obi-Wan's sleeping form rested in the bed across the room. A sigh of relief escaped Anakin's lips as he strode over to his Master, ditching his sneak effort. Without hesitation, Anakin began to try and wake his sleeping mentor.

"Obi-Wan, wake up…"

A soft snore was the Master's only response.

"Obi-Wan… Obi-Wan… Obi-Wan!" still no signs of returning to consciousness.

"Obi-Wan!" Anakin thrust himself a good foot into the air before landing down onto Obi-Wan's bed for emphasis.

The snoring stopped before the older man let out a groan, "Go back to bed Anakin, it was only a dream."

"But Master…"

"Dreams pass in time… go back to sleep," Obi-Wan rolled onto his side, and away from his apprentice.

"Master, that's not why I…"

"Anakin, you are too old to sleep in my bed anymore. Think happy thoughts and go back to bed."

"But you said we could go piloting today!"

Obi-Wan finally turned to face his stubborn Padawan, "What time is it?"

"Twelve-seventeen."

The older man suddenly jerked into an upright position before leaping out of bed, "Why didn't you wake me sooner?"

"I figured you would like to sleep a little longer…"

"You don't understand! I missed a counseling meeting with Yoda!"

As Obi-Wan began to get dressed, the boy still sitting on his bed could not help but to be thoroughly confused.

"I wasn't aware that old frog stayed up this late…"

"Nonsense Anakin! The day isn't even over yet."

"So then you don't mind that I woke you up before sunrise?"

Toothbrush dangling from his mouth, and his hair still defying gravity, Obi-Wan walked over to his Padawan just as an impish grin melted across Anakin's face.

"You said first thing in the morning, Master."

Obi-Wan returned to his bathroom and rinsed the toothpaste from his mouth and beard before regarding his Padawan again.

"Go back… to sleep Anakin."

"But you said…"

"Now!"


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: George Lucas created everything... except for the Giza-Pops... the name belongs to me, the idea belongs to whoever makes Otter Pops.

A/N: I'm sorry to announce that this is the final chapter of Impatience... I just thought I'd point out that the airspeeder I used in this story, the XJ-6 (speeder Anakin stole in Episode 2 AotC), belongs to Senator Simon Greyshade, not the Jedi Temple. Although the XJ does not belong to the Temple, I changed that so that it would fit this story. All the facts I used were from Wookiepedia, I did not make them up to fit the story, I actually researched. Secondly, I'm sorry it took so long for this chapter to be written, but I wanted it to be perfect, so I hope it was worth the wait! Last, but certainly not least, I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed this story, I absoulty love the reviews people give me. I'd especially like to thank Ann Jinn for all the support and your reviews! It's made writing this story a lot more rewarding.

* * *

When Obi-Wan came back from his meeting, much later in the morning, he walked in expecting Anakin to be ready for his first piloting lesson. The moment Obi-Wan entered their living quarters, the Jedi Knight sensed that something was amiss. Whatever the disaster was this time, it concerned Obi-Wan even more that he could not figure out what it was. That was when it hit the older man; the room in which he stood was quiet, unnervingly quiet. In haste, Obi-Wan began to neurotically tear apart the room in urgent need to find his apprentice. Unfortunately, it was common place for Obi-Wan to incessantly worry about his Padawan. He knew that the boy occasionally wandered his way out of the Temple, and down to the lower levels of Coruscant, where he often found droid parts to assemble in his rare amounts of spare time. Obi-Wan was so preoccupied, that he felt ashamed when he found Anakin laying on the couch, something he should have sensed when he walked in.

Although the Master was relieved to see his Padawan safe, he was perplexed to see the position in which the boy was lying. With his legs on the couch and his torso on the floor, Anakin appeared to have fallen asleep while watching a Holo-vid in an upside down position. Obi-Wan was not incredulous toward the scene, even though just looking made the mentors neck hurt. Reaching over to turn off the video display, the Master could not help but to notice something that was out of the ordinary. Anakin's mouth was hanging open, with his tongue hanging out, the latter peculiarly discolored. Either Obi-Wan was delirious, or his apprentice was sporting a green tongue. The older of the two men did not desire to wake the boy, for the mentor knew how seldom his Padawan got sleep.

Reluctantly, Obi-Wan kneeled down and softly called to his apprentice until Anakin woke from his sleep. It soon became evident that the adolescent was uncharacteristically oblivious. The young man gradually opened his eyes to see his Master leaning over him. Genuine concern was cast over Obi-Wan's face, or at least enough to discomfort Anakin.

"What's wrong Master?"

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"You don't look so good."

Obi-Wan reached out and placed his hand tenderly on Anakin's forehead, a gesture his Master had not used since he was young. It had been a while since Anakin could remember having a fever, but he was confident that he would know what one felt like, if one was present.

"You don't feel hot…" Obi-Wan finally stated as he withdrew his hand.

"I'm not sick…"

"Then why, my young Padawan Learner, is your tongue green?"

The incredulous tone in his Masters voice made Anakin laugh, "Oh you mean that!"

"This is serious Anakin. You could have some incurable disease that will seize your life within less than a standard week!"

"Master, you don't understand. It was just a Gizka-Pop…"

"A what?"

"A Gizka-Pop… its frozen sugary juice in a plastex wrapper."

"Where on Coruscant did you get something like that?"

"They give them away once a week in the Cafeteria."

"Oh."

"Yeah…"

Obi-Wan felt quite foolish to think that his Padawan was inflicted with a deadly disease. When he had seen his Padawan's green tongue, the mentor had assumed the worst possible condition. The older man continued to sit and dwell over his mistake as his Padawan sat, uncomfortably awaiting for his Master to say something. The boy was beginning to worry that Obi-Wan would be lost in thought for a prolonged amount of time as the silence became awkward. Never able to guess what his mentor was thinking, Anakin wondered if the older man was preparing a lecture for him, on what, the boy could only imagine. When Obi-Wan opened his mouth, Anakin had already prepared himself to endure an impossibly long and well thought out lecture.

"So would you like to receive your first piloting lesson now?"

"You really mean it?"

Obi-Wan smiled as the boy's face lit up brighter than a star exploding in the deep reaches of space.

"Of course, Padawan," Obi-Wan said as he tousled the boy's hair.

"Thank you!"

Anakin gracelessly fell the rest of the way off the couch before sitting up so he could embrace his Master tightly. Obi-Wan smiled as the boy detached himself from the hug and jumped to his feet impatiently waiting for his Master to do the same. More elegantly than his Padawan, Obi-Wan stood and followed Anakin as the boy rushed for the door. Both Master and Apprentice headed out of the door and for the hangar bay.

Shortly after arriving, Anakin began to observe the array of choices displayed before him. Aware that his Padawan had an infatuation with anything that could fly, Obi-Wan tolerantly waited for the boy to choose the perfect airspeeder, a XJ series model 6.

Once Anakin had picked his speeder, Obi-Wan shook his head as his Padawan thrust himself over the side, just clearing the height of the door and landed himself in the pilot's seat. After his Master entered the speeder in a more practical fashion, the boy did not hesitate before starting the speeder up as antigrav generator powered the repulsorlift. Just as it began to levitate, Anakin began revving the 30 megawatt twin turbojet engines. The boy had to restrain his excitement as he looked over to Obi-Wan for confirmation to which the man responded with the rolling of his eyes before nodding. Once the apprentice was sure his Master was not going to bail out of his duty, Anakin put the speeder into reverse and looked over his right shoulder before backing out of the parking spot.

Obi-Wan had to use ancient Jedi breathing exercises to keep himself calm as Anakin carefully maneuvered the XJ-6 out of the hangar. The Master knew his apprentice was capable of being a safe pilot, however, that knowledge did nothing to calm his nerves.

Coruscant's traffic was the most dangerous accident waiting to happen that Obi-Wan could recall experiencing. However, Anakin was a Jedi and his awareness skills were about to be tested as the boy began to raise the XJ towards the nearest skylane. Putting the airspeeder into gear, Anakin accelerated so that he could merge into the skylane without being hit by passing traffic.

"Now Anakin, you're going to want to make sure that you are watching for the other speeders, they have the right of way and won't stop to make room for you. Wait for an opening so that you…"

Obi-Wan's right hand flew to the door as he gripped tightly to the side of the speeder as Anakin deftly merged himself directly in front of a speeder that was about to hit them. The other pilot honked their horn as Anakin continued to speed up.

"Damn it Padawan, I told you to wait for an opening!"

"I couldn't wait that long…"

"You nearly caused an accident!"

"I wasn't that close."

"You need to learn to be patient and not cause lane rage."

"Fine..."

Obi-Wan felt the XJ shift into a higher gear as Anakin continued to go faster, passing other pilots and probably breaking the speed limit.

"Anakin, how fast are you going?"

"The speedometer says were going 720 kilometers per hour."

"You're supposed to be going 240! Slow down before we get pulled over!"

"This speeder has eight gears Master, why would it have that many if I wasn't suppose to use the eighth gear?"

"If you don't slow down, you're going to be grounded, Padawan."

"Fine…"

As Anakin began to down shift, Obi-Wan relaxed his grip on the car door until police sirens began to echo in his ear. A deep sigh escaped Anakin's lips as he descended out of traffic, the police speeder following suit. It was obvious to the older man that his apprentice was scowling, even with his eyes closed. Once both speeders lowered to street level, Obi-Wan instructed for Anakin to turn off the engine as the repulsorlift engines died down and gently set the XJ on the ground. The police officer approached on the pilots side and folded his arms.

"Do you have any idea how fast you were going?"

Anakin was about to respond before Obi-Wan cut him off.

"I'm sorry officer, were both Jedi and I was just teaching my Padawan here how to drive."

"And I'm the queen of Naboo…"

"Wait a minute," Anakin cut in, "don't you mock Padme!"

"Excuse me?" the officer raised an eyebrow at the boy before Obi-Wan could interject.

"Ignore him. Let me show you my ID."

Obi-Wan began to rummage through the folds of his tunic and robe before the confidence on his face began to diminish.

"Master, you didn't…"

"I apologize officer, it seems that I accidentally left my ID at the Jedi Temple."

Anakin slumped down in his seat, trying his best to become invisible, "You did…"

"Sir, you and your son are under arrest for driving without a license, for trying to bullshit me… and failing miserably."

Obi-Wan raised his hand and passed it in front of his chest, "We are not under arrest and we are free to continue on our way."

The officer lifted his forearm to speak into a comlink strapped to his wrist, "Officer 686 to officer 623, I'm gonna need some backup. I've got two Jedi imitators on my hands."

An audible whimper escaped Anakin's lips as his cheeks began to flush, "Please tell me this is all just a joke. A really mean, practical joke you're playing on me to teach me a lesson. Obi-Wan, I'll never speed again, I promise… just call it off."

"Anakin, I'm sorry to break it to you, but this is real."

"You're damn right it's real! Get out of the speeder and keep your hands where I can see them… Jedi."

Obi-Wan got out of the passenger's seat and placed his hands on his head as Anakin followed suit. Reinforcements arrived and confiscated the XJ as some clasped stun cuffs on the Jedi's wrists. Both were escorted over to the first officer's speeder and placed in the back seat as the doors were locked behind them. Anakin closed his eyes and groaned as he lowered his head. Feeling empathy towards the poor boy, his Master felt awful that his apprentices' first experience driving, concluded in being arrested by the Coruscant Law Enforcement.

Obi-Wan tried to cheer to boy up by encouraging him, "Everything will be okay Padawan. I'll get everything straightened out."

Anakin did not even raise his head as he mumbled his response, "Am I grounded?"


End file.
